Archive for March, 2010

In which I am trying to build tension and resisting Star Fox jokes.
—
“We’re stabilized.” Kishi reported quickly.
Kizo scanned his eyes across the large screen in front of him before calling back, “The ships are registered properly. We’ve got your coordinates.” He could feel his heart in his throat, remembering the last flight. He wasn’t scared though. He felt excited and, strangly, full. Full of some kind of purpose, Kizo wasn’t quite sure.
Narl interrupted his thoughts with his commanding voice. “Try maneuvering.”
“We should probably go one at a time,” Xof added. “Let’s avoid crashing.”
“Of course,” said Chambo.
Kishi replied quickly, “I’ll go first.” She flexed her fingers, still wrapped around the control. She pushed forward firmly, but slowly. The Striker coasted forward. Kishi’s eyes were sharp slits, blind to anything besides the dark space they focused on. She rolled her shoulders to the left, gently moving the Steering stick. The Ship turned.
“Well,” Kizo coughed over the transmitter. “Looks like you’re all set for piloting the relaxing sight-seeing tour of space. Now why don’t you try going faster than a flat rock on the floor?”
“Have you ever flown a spaceship?” She hissed back, without giving Kizo any real time to reply. “No. Neither have I. This doesn’t come with a guide. We can learn now or jump right in like idiots and get ourselves killed.”
“Get everybody killed.” Narl turned to Kizo disapprovingly. “The Gowaks are killing us, we don’t need to kill us too.” The grey mrow turned his head down, embarrassed.
Kishi continued to steer the Striker in silence. She snaked the ship back and forth, testing turning at different angles and speeds. “Chambo,” She said, not turning her eyes away from the window. The black Mrow perked his ears and moved up closer to her. “I’m going to try to do a dive.”
The controls to the altitude and orientation of the Striker were with the other buttons and switches wrapped around the base of the window. A Gowak could reach them from the chair, one arm on the steering stick and another on the panels. A mrow, however, could not. This is why there were two to each ship. Chambo nodded with a affirmative grunt. He crouched down in front of the controls, orienting his hands over the buttons and turning his head away to see out the window.
“Now.” Kishi commanded. She leaned forward on the Steering stick as the Striker began moving forward. Chambo pressed a button, keeping it steadily depressed. The ship turned, curving downward. As the Striker moved now, the more it curved around. “Release.” Kishi directed. He let go of the button. The curving stopped, the ship moving down straight now. At least, appeared to be moving down straight from the perspective of Xof and Anax, who watched with wide eyes. The gravity had shifted for Kishi and Chambo, who moved forward consistently.
“Going to try ascending.” The striped pilot said. Narl acknowledged her from over the radio. “Ascend now.” Kishi added. Chambo depressed the other button. Kishi pushed forward on the Steering Stick, and the Striker rotated upward. She oriented herself with the other hovering ship. “Release.”
“Can you turn and descend at the same time?” Kizo asked.
“I believe.” Kishi replied. She directed Chambo, “Descend now.” She curved the Striker to the left as it moved. They moved in a soft spiral through space. “Release.” The spiral flattened, the Striker oriented on a flat plane now.

I’m sorry about dropping off the face of the planent for a while. What started with finals and Christmas/holiday such turned into a horrible art/writer’s block, turned into more life-related things, and eventually just into full on dead motivation. For some reason, I feel like the richness of personality of the characters of Meribellian just…left me for a while. I was waiting for them to come back, but it doesn’t work that way. I’m chasing them back, and worst case scenario, building them back.